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These are five of the most significant sightings in our county in 2017:

September: A group of seven people out for a walk said they were stalked by a growling big cat for more than a mile. They claimed the panther-like creature followed them from Woodchester Park boathouse near Nailsworth to the car park after they got lost.

“I’ve seen the big black panther, it was as clear as day,” said a woman from the party. “My partner and I, with five others, got lost in the woods and found ourselves back at the cars at 11pm. On our way back up the drive we saw yellow eyes in the trees, like it was following us.”

She added: “There was a growl the closer we got to the cars. At that point we got scared and ran to the cars and put the lights on. There it was, right in front of us. It jumped over the fence into the long grass where it seemed to be stalking us, growling.”

They tried to take a picture of the animal but it was too dark.

The walkers were tracked for more than a mile by what they believed was a big cat in Woodchester Park (Image: Google)

The 74-year-old made the grim discovery in a field in the Quarhouse and Lypiatt area, near Stroud. Very little was left of the animal and it appears whatever killed it shook it around before its death.

Mr Cashmore, who has 50 lambs and ewes, said: “It was an overnight job. It’s sad and worrying. The damage that was done to the poor lamb was my first thought.”

The 65-year-old, from Churchdown, was shocked when she whistled at what she originally thought was a large black Labrador in a small area of trees and bushes and it turned its head to reveal the face of a big cat.

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May: A cat “bigger than a Labrador” was spotted roaming the fields around a pub.

Chris and Fiona Wormald broke down by The Cross Hands pub on the A46 near Yate in Old Sodbury, South Gloucestershire on their way back to Stroud from Bath. While they waited for a rescue vehicle to come to their aid, the pair decided to have a walk around the grounds of the pub in the dying light of the evening of May 21.

The rear of the pub is surrounded by fields. In the distance they spotted a big black creature, about the same height as a Labrador but longer, walking in the opposite direction. The cat eyeballed the couple before continuing up the field and disappearing into the twilight.

Andy and Claire Rule's picture of a suspected big cat near Stroud was scaled by a superimposed picture of a fox on from the same camera (Image: Andy and Claire Rule)

Mr Tunbridge said it had been ‘an unusual’ year.

“This year has been unusual, as quite a number of sightings of these large cat-like creatures have occurred during daylight hours, and often close to human habitation,” he said.

“Most probably, like other wild animals in other countries, where they are not persecuted, they become more habituated towards people and lose some of their fear of appearing during the day.

“One such sighting that comes to mind was from a man who recently moved to the Stroud area, and saw, with his mother, a long bodied, long tailed ,lean looking, Labrador sized black cat casually making its way across his neighbour's large lawn, which was adjacent to a wooded area on the outskirts of Stroud.

“This happened at 9.30 am on a Sunday morning in early September of this year.

Experts carrying out DNA tests on the carcass of a roe deer found at the National Trust’s Woodchester Park, near Stroud, amid speculation that it could have been brought down by a big cat in 2012

“The man told me that he was shocked but ‘very excited’ by this experience. I have installed a 24/7 trail camera there to see if the animal returns. There are many muntjac and roe deer in the area, which form part of these cats’ diet.

“Many reports though still come to me from people who encounter a big cat at night, like the group of seven people who on a visit to Woodchester Park in July of this year got lost, and not knowing the layout of the park ended up at the boating lake at 10.45 pm, roughly a mile or so from the car park. “It was a dark still night and they all suddenly heard deep ominous growling coming from the treeline which was only a few yards away, they were alarmed by this, so walked quickly back along the path towards their cars.

“More deep growling occurred as it followed them to the car park. They ran the last 50 yards, jumped into their cars and turned on their lights. Surprisingly the big cat came out in to the car park, only yards away still growling at them. When they started the car's engines up it retreated into the long grass nearby. It was once again described as roughly Labrador size, jet black, with yellow eyes. The people involved described it as a ‘scary experience’. I think it could have been ‘seeing them off’ and out of its territory.

This suspected big cat was spotted near Amberley, Stroud

“I have had similar reports of this in the past, where people, especially with dogs have been followed for a distance, until they exited the area. Sometimes a person will hear an ominous growling or hissing from the foliage cover nearby, but never see the animal.

“Approximately between 20 to 25 sightings of these big ats are reported weekly throughout the UK, either to researchers like myself, or to the police and other authorities. So, what are they, and where did they come from?

“Well, unlike the sad case of the escaped Borth Lynx, these cats are now naturalised to our countryside, confident, fit, and existing well on a diet of small mammals, rabbits, birds ,and small to medium sized deer.

“The consensus of opinion is that the present population of British big cats are derived from releases after the 1976 Dangerous Animals Act was brought in, forcing many owners of big cats and other exotic creatures to release them into remote rural locations.

Coryn Memory took this footage of a suspected big cat near Stroud in 2012.

“From the descriptions I receive, and also due to my investigations, I believe many of these cats are now breeding true to type, in both black and fawn coloured variations.

“Ironically, I receive a number of lynx sightings every year. One notable one was from a man at Coombe Hill, who disturbed a lynx one sunny morning in October, lying across his cold frame, absorbing the early morning sun!”

He said anyone who would like to report a sighting or anything else relevant about big cats can call him in confidence on 07711 476 715, or email franktunbridge@hotmail.co.uk.